Ponies on Earth and their New Horizons

by TikiBat

Chapter 10: Reflections of Equestria

The two sat in an area that Starry had pointed out was a popular café run by an old retired member of Luna’s Night Guard. The arched iron sign that sat in front of it had read The Knight’s Light, though ponies from all walks of life seemed to be present here. A large assortment of night ponies wearing similar armor to the guards back at the outpost were scattered around, but there were also ponies wearing simple aprons, tool belts, or even just hard hats.

The two shared a table with Starry’s wife, foals, and two other ponies who wore goggles and tool belts. Starry had been quick to point out that they were engineer ponies who had helped set up some of the early outpost infrastructure, but had returned to Canterlot when they had gotten the chance to take on a contract that they were after for a while now.

Starry chatted with the unicorn for a bit while the night pony absentmindedly tinkered around with a strange-looking mechanical device that almost resembled something like a clock. Scarlet tuned out the conversation, instead choosing to look around at the rest of the cave they were in. It certainly felt like she stood out here, but none of the ponies seemed to care or pay her any mind.

“So Scarlet’s from Earth then?” She suddenly heard the unicorn ask.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and nodded towards him, “Yes, I’m an astronomer back on Earth. I’m here on a sort of cultural exchange.”

He smiled, “It must feel so weird getting to come here, then. I heard that Earth is so much different than Equestria. I mean, you guys built up a world without magic for most of your existence… I’m sorry, where are my manners. I’m Gear Grinder, and this is my apprentice Xenith.”

The night pony set his device down and nodded, “It's rare that we encounter a Terran here, even more so one that is a night pony.”

“Yeah… there’s not too many of them back home either. It’s honestly a little weird seeing so many in one place here.”

“I bet. So what did you think of our handiwork?”

“In the observatory?”

He nodded, “It's based on Terran designs, though there’s a fair amount of Equestrian engineering involved. Was there any noticeable difference in operation compared to what you’d find back home?”

She shook her head, “No, not really. It seems like it moves a little more precisely, but I can’t tell if that’s just different materials, the higher-end design, or what.”

“It’s a mix, actually. There’s some magic involved to fill in the gaps of what’s possible on Earth and what we lack here in Equestria. That’s a detail that I can’t get too far into, I’m afraid, but I’m glad to hear that there’s no real issue with reliability.”

“I kind of figured as much. So I know you can’t get into details, but out of curiosity, would this be possible back home?”

He shrugged, “It’s possible. It would depend on whether Earth has materials that would be receptive to that. Neither of us has looked into it too much. Sorry if that doesn’t really answer your question at all.”

She nodded, “It’s fine. I was just kind of curious is all. We’ve been trying to develop some new telescopes back home, so I was just curious to see if anything like this would be possible.”

“Well, if it ever is, please don’t hesitate to share the plans with us. You Terrans all seem to be so resourceful at times,” he chuckled. “Imagine doing everything without magic.”

Starry cleared his throat, interrupting the two. “I hate to interrupt, but I believe our server is returning soon. Do you all know what you’d like to order?”

Scarlet looked down at the menu and nodded, “I think so.”

He smiled, “Wonderful!”

---

Starry smiled as he led the three down the cobblestone streets of Canterlot and towards the large imposing palace in the distance. Tyler and Sarah had just arrived today, and they seemed more than happy to be off the cramped train they rode in on earlier. Their amazement wasn’t quite the same as Scarlet’s had been when she first caught a glimpse of the regal city a couple of days ago, but they were still sneaking bewildered glances every once in a while.

“So will the Princess actually be joining us, or is it more of a Join me and the assorted nobility scenario?” Tyler jokingly asked.

Starry nodded, “Princess Luna may be present if her other duties permit it. Other nobility and ambassadors shall be in attendance as well, including a few from your world.”

“Other country ambassadors, you mean?” Sarah asked as she returned her gaze from one of the large buildings.

“Indeed. I do not know who will be present specifically, just that it includes ambassadors from both worlds.”

“It sounds like it’ll be a real interesting night. So are we dining in the palace?” Scarlet asked, cutting in.

Starry looked over towards her and shook his head, “Not the actual palace proper, but the venue is close by. It should still offer spectacular views of the city and surrounding vistas, though.”

Scarlet smiled, “Well, I can’t wait; this whole place has just been amazing so far.”

She looked towards Sarah and Tyler, who nodded in agreement.

“So Starry… what’s the actual plan? Are we sitting with them, or are we going to be off on our own?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I would assume you would be sitting with them. As far as I am aware, guests visiting from Earth are all seated at the same table, is there a concern with that?”

Scarlet shook her head, “None at all; I was just curious. So is it okay for us to chat with them? Do we need to be super formal and uptight? Y’know, is this supposed to be a formal dinner, or is it more of a casual meet and greet kind of thing?”

Starry smiled, “Oh, of course! I could not imagine a quiet dinner here; these are some of my favorite events to attend solely for the interesting stories you hear from far and wide. I’m not aware of how it is on Earth, but here in Equestria, sharing stories among strangers and friends alike is one of our greatest traditions.”

Scarlet smiled back, “I think that answers everything. I just wanted to make sure; I don’t know about the others, but I’ve never dined with any kind of celebrity or ambassador before; I wasn’t sure if there was some ironclad protocol we had to follow or anything.”

“There is none that I am aware of; I do hope you enjoy yourselves tonight, it might not be what you are used to on Earth, but I hope you’ll feel welcome all the same. The princess invited you, but do not feel like this needs to be a formal event; if it helps, think of it as a dinner with old friends.”

---

Starry led the three into the regal dining room, where a plethora of creatures were already sitting. Scarlet hadn’t realized it until now, but Equestria had a far more diverse population that was made up of more than just ponies. Starry had mentioned this earlier when they had first toured the outpost, but she hadn’t thought much of that comment up until now. As she looked around the room she picked out a few creatures that were obvious to her, like the humans and ponies, but she also noticed a zebra, a few creatures that looked like ponies but had strange horns, and a few other creatures that she assumed were griffons based on some of the depictions Scarlet had seen back home.

She continued to observe the other guests up until Starry ushered them towards one table in particular. It wasn’t specified in any particular way, but she could tell that it was meant for Earth based guests. The table was empty, except for a human and two ponies, who were all casually chatting and enjoying what looked like freshly baked goods.

Starry cleared his throat, “Good evening, I would like to introduce you to a few of your fellow guests from Earth,” He gestured towards the Human that sat at the outside of the table, “This is Giovanni, Earth’s Italian ambassador to Equestria,” He moved on, gesturing towards the pink unicorn next, “And this is Cherry Blossom, she is Japan’s ambassador.” He moved on to the remaining orange pegasus, “And lastly, we have Lucky Hazel, Jamaica’s ambassador.”

The orange mare smiled and nodded, “Pleased to meet you, you three are astronomers right? What’s it’s like to actually see another world’s stars? Is it as cool as it sounds?”

Starry smiled, “I can see that you all will get along just fine, please pardon me for a moment, my presence is required up front, I will return in just a few minutes.” With a quick bow towards the assembled guests, Starry trotted off towards whoever needed his attention.

Scarlet took a seat next to the pegasus, “It’s no harm, I don’t think you’ll be able to out geek three astronomers who are getting to do something like this.”

“It is an exciting change of pace, that is for sure,” Cherry Blossom spoke up, “I have never been much of a stargazer myself, but I can see the appeal nonetheless. Am I correct in assuming that you’re a part of Princess Luna’s little pet project?”

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, “Pet project?”

Giovanni sat up in his seat and took a sip of water, “My friend, I believe that Cherry is referring to the Princess’ new observatory that’s out in the middle of nowhere. Pardon our curiosity, it’s just that there’s so much mystique surrounding both her and that project in particular. There’s rumors that come out of the shadows and naturally that can tend to pique one’s interest, especially given the… less than usual circumstance of all of us being present here.”

Scarlet couldn’t help but pick up on the fact that the three ambassadors seemed to speak in a dialect that was understandable, but didn’t feel as graceful to her. They spoke as if they had only recently learned the language and were still getting the hang of pronouncing the strange, almost musical words. She wasn’t sure if it was that they had simply arrived here later than they had, hadn’t bothered to practice it as much, or maybe something else entirely. Was it possible that these three felt just as out of place as her and her two new friends did?

Tyler spoke up, stirring Scarlet from her silent observations, “To answer your question, we’re visiting astronomers that are assisting her with a really novel project. Assuming that’s the one you’re talking about, I can say it’s definitely nothing outlandish or crazy. Just working on updating archived star maps with Equestria’s stars and constellations. Kind of like what we do back home.”

“So exciting for us, boring for probably everyone else.” Sarah added with a smile.

Cherry nodded, “Fascinating, though the truth is certainly less interesting than the rumor.”

“Well for you maybe, I think it’s amazing that you three have the chance to do that. Are you using weird Equestrian equipment or stuff from back home!?” Lucky excitedly asked.

Scarlet perked up, happy to hold a conversation that felt so casual and informal, “Kind of a mix, we’re not really sure how much is from who, but it sure runs like the stuff back home. I think they used some of our designs as a base and worked up and replaced what they weren’t able to really do here with their own engineering and technology. Kind of like an old world meets new world scenario I think? It’s hard to really tell given how… weird this all is.”

Starry returned, interrupting the group before they could ask any further questions, “Ah yes, I apologize for that interruption, another guest needed my assistance. Now as for dinner, our menu has both local cuisine and recipes gifted to our chefs from Earth, you are welcome to try either, though the option for food that may be more familiar to your… tastes is available if you so desire.” He passed a small menu to each of the guests, giving them time to look it over.

Scarlet retrieved one and gave a quick nod in thanks. Without a second thought she started looking through the Earth side of the menu, noting that there were dishes from all four of the countries that were currently represented at the table. Out of curiosity, she gave a quick glance over to the Equestrian side, curious to see what counted as local cuisine. Everything seemed fairly standard, hayburger, flower and hay sandwich… hay, hay, and more hay. She scrunched her muzzle up in disgust as she thought back to when that was the only thing that was widely available for ponies to eat shortly after ETS had struck. It was fine enough sure, but eating raw hay for weeks on end soured the experience for her.

She continued to look through that side of the menu in disinterest, pausing when she came across something she never would have expected to see on a dinner menu, let alone one that was being offered to nobility and ambassadors in the country’s capital. Baked Tarantula. She gave a quick wave towards Starry, who cheerfully trotted over.

“Yes Mrs. Eclipse? Did you have a question?”

She nodded, “Yes, I noticed this thing on the menu, Baked Tarantula… is that actually a baked tarantula or is it something that’s just not translating over as well?”

“Ah yes, the Baked Tarantula. Not as popular amongst the day ponies, but it could be considered something of a delicacy amongst night ponies. Would you care to try it?”

Scarlet hesitated for a moment, before returning a quick nod. “My husband’s deathly afraid of spiders… but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sound interesting. Plus the look on his face when I tell him what I tried is going to be priceless.”

Starry smiled, “I’ll let our chefs know. They are masters of their craft and it won’t take long for them to prepare your meal. Would you like anything else to drink in the meantime?”

She shook her head, “Just water for now.”

Starry nodded and trotted off, leaving Scarlet alone to her thoughts once again. She was starting to regret her meal choice, and was half tempted to call after Starry and choose something else, but a lingering thought kept her in her seat. If it was on the menu and night ponies in Equestria enjoyed it, it couldn’t be all that bad right?

Giovanni sat up and took another sip from his glass, “So now that that’s out of the way, how have you all been adjusting to your stay here? Before you arrived I was talking with Cherry and Lucky about their own experiences and it’s been intriguing to hear.”

“You know, it was kind of rough at first, jumping from one world and into another wasn’t as strange as I thought it might be, the strange part was just getting used to how small everything is here. I’m sure you understand that.” Tyler answered.

The human nodded, “I’ve had a couple of weeks to adjust but it’s still had it’s unusual moments at times.”

“Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but obviously this world wasn’t built for humans, it’s just an odd feeling when you think you’re judging something but you’re still used to the scale of everything back home. I think Tyler’s tripped about a dozen times on so many different staircases just because he’s not used to the steps being as low as they are.” Sarah added.

Scarlet smiled, “Obviously it’s different for me. As weird as it sounds I feel right at home here. I’d never give up my life back home for anything in the world, but it’s a nice change of pace being here.”

Cherry looked at Lucky and Scarlet and nodded, “I share your sentiment. I’ve only been here for a week and adjusting hasn’t been too hard. I’m assuming it’s the same for you Lucky?”

The pegasus nodded, “It’s different, but I think it’s worth it. If we can help foster peace between worlds and nations I think it’s all worthwhile, even if some of us are uncomfortable at times.”

Cherry nodded, “I have a family back home that I miss dearly, but this mission is worth the momentary longing for them that I feel. I’ll be home to see them soon enough, and maybe the world will be a little better in the long run because of what we’re doing.”

Scarlet smiled, “I know we’re not specifically here for any kind of good will mission like you three are, but I like to think that every small part helps. Even if we’re just helping some astronomers update a star map, it’s still a chance to share some of our culture and gain an appreciation for some of theirs.”

A warm grin spread across Giovanni’s face, “It appears that we’re not all as different as it might seem. I am glad to have heard your own tales.”

“Likewise, it’s been… interesting.” Tyler mused. “Here we thought we’d have to be uptight and formal for this dinner, but you’re all normal people like us with friends and families.”

“We are just a small group that want to make a better world, in our own ways, be it big or small. People of all lands have gathered like this for centuries to share their own stories, and it’s humbling to know that even though we come from all corners of the globe, we are able to converse as if we are fond friends.” Cherry added.

Without much fanfare the servers returned with a cart full of steaming plates, clearly prepared quickly with some sort of magic. The group collectively eyed the cart, pausing their conversation for the time being.

Lucky turned towards the three astronomers, “I’d love to chat some more after dinner, if you’ll indulge me that is.”

Sarah nodded, “Not sure how much we can really say, but I’d love to talk some more.”

One by one the plates were set down in front of the group, who happily began to dig into their chosen meals. As Scarlet’s was laid down in front of her, she couldn’t help but eye the tarantulas with a look of both disgust and intrigue. She hesitantly broke off a leg and took a small bite. She paused and slowly began to smile.

Her eyes widened in bewilderment and she eagerly dug in, surprising herself in the process. It had been so long since she had eaten actual meat that she had forgotten how good the taste could be. It was as if she had suddenly discovered a part of her that was missing for the last year, a piece of her very being that was now rediscovered, and she couldn’t get enough of it. This is actually… kind of good! I’m eating a tarantula and liking it… Silver’s gonna freak out but I have to get him to try this sometime! She thought to herself as a devilish grin spread across her face. She would never just spring this on him without a fair warning, that would be needlessly cruel after all, but maybe she could ease him into trying it, surely he could get over it if she could show him how good it was. Those thoughts would have to wait however, she was too eager to enjoy this strangely good new food to think about anything else.

---

The remainder of the dinner service went by in a flash, and before she had even realized it, it was time for dessert. In contrast to the dinner, there were no menus or options for dessert, and instead the waitstaff had rolled out a series of dishes that held strange exotic looking pastries with an Equestrian name that Scarlet couldn’t translate into English despite her best efforts.

This was a special treat as they had been told, because it was a dish made up from small samplings of delicacies from the different tribes that were found in Equestria. In addition to ponies, other creatures like griffons, hippogriffs (which Scarlet had been informed were somehow different apparently), Kirin, and Zebras had all contributed something to the dish, and as another additional surprise, there were a few small bites of pastries that had been included using recipes brought to Equestria by Earth’s ambassadors. Choosing to ignore the familiar ones for the time being, she instead looked down at the more exotic unknown ones, her mouth watering as she gazed down at a bright orange slice of cake that was oozing some orange filling and looked absolutely delicious.

Taking a few small bites confirmed that it didn’t only look delicious, it was delicious. The first thing that stood out to her right away was that it was one of the softest cakes she had ever eaten. In fact, the soft vanilla exterior practically melted in her mouth giving way to a tangy orange filling. The tantalizing mix of orange and vanilla filled her with a radiant sense of glee and she couldn’t help but smile as she greedily scarfed down the delicacy. She didn’t know if it was just the local ingredients or whether this cake was somehow enchanted to be even more delicious, but whatever it was, she knew she needed either the recipe or a nice hearty supply of it to bring home.

“Aha, drawn to the Blood Orange cake are we? That’s one of the signature dishes from the Blood Orange family in Hollow Shades.” Starry Skies joyfully observed from the side.

“Uh huh,” Scarlet responded. “What about Blood Oranges?”

“They’re a family of night ponies from the Hollow Shades region of Equestria. It’s one of the oldest homelands for Equestrian night ponies. For many years it was functionally abandoned, with only a few isolated families keeping watch over their ancestral homes, though recently it’s become more active.”

“So what you’re telling me is that we can get more of this cake later on if we really wanted to?” Scarlet asked with a hint of desperation in her voice.

“If we were to make a trip down to Hollow Shades. You’ll find that the dishes served here tonight are from some of the more isolated areas of Equestria, areas that wanted to show that they can still play an important part in Equestrian society.”

“Put me down for a trip to Hollow Shades then,” she very quickly replied.

The stallion let out a laugh and nodded. “I don’t know whether we’ll have time for that or not, but I’ll note it down.”

“Thanks Starry… this is just so good.”

“Oh believe me, I know. It’s become one of my guilty pleasures lately.”

“Don’t have much of a sweet tooth, eh?” Scarlet asked.

“Only for that cake,” Starry admitted.

“That’s one of my favorites too,” Lucky interjected.

Scarlet looked over to the orange mare and smiled. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She replied. “I’m sorry to interrupt, I just saw your face and knew you were trying out the good stuff for the first time ever and it just made me think about the first time I ever tried it. Feels like it was so long ago but it really wasn’t.”

“Time flies kinda fast here, doesn’t it?” Scarlet commented.

“Mhmm. I’m sure you’re starting to realize that too.”

Scarlet started to think about the remaining time left on their visit, and slowly nodded, realizing that it was nearing the home stretch at an alarming rate. “Yeah, I think I am. Guess I didn’t think about how different this place would be or all the things I’d be doing.”

“It’s hard to,” she admitted. “I’ve lived here for a year and a half now, and it’s still unreal to me sometimes. Feels like I got here yesterday but it’s been so much longer. It’s just the start of a new chapter of my life too, which really makes it feel even crazier.”

“Oh? I’m guessing you’re here on a longer term basis?”

“Pretty much.” Lucky nodded. “I don’t know about the details for the other two, but I’m basically living here for the time being. I still visit Earth every few months, and my family’s supposed to get approval to move here soon too, which will hopefully make it feel more like a home.”

“That’s gotta be such a wild feeling.”

“Oh it is. I wanted to see the world when I was a filly but little did I know I’d get to go live in another world someday. It feels like a dream everyday and sometimes I almost feel like I’m just going to wake up back at home and everything’s going to be boring again.”

“Well your name’s pretty fitting I think.”

“Huh?” Lucky asked. “What do you mean?”

“You’re pretty lucky. You really got to follow your dream in such a big way.”

The mare blushed and smiled, “You did too I’d say.”

“Fair enough,” Scarlet laughed. “It’s different though. You live here permanently, I’m here for a short one month assignment, and who knows if I’ll ever be back?”

“Never say never. I know our two worlds are trying their best to come together and support each other. It’s not a stretch to say that people like you and your friends play almost as important of a role as me and the other ambassadors. We’re here to offer diplomatic support and cooperation, but also to exchange some of our culture and knowledge. Isn’t that part of what you’re doing too?”

Scarlet smiled. “I guess you’re right. I shouldn’t just assume this is my one shot to be here. I’m just in that live each moment like it’s my last kind of mindset.”

“Which isn’t the worst thing in the world,” Lucky added. “I was always that same way too.”

“I can totally see that.” Scarlet took a few bites of the other samples, (which in her opinion weren’t as good as the marvelous cake she had tried), and looked back at the mare. “You said you wanted to hear more about our program before, right?”

“Very much so. I’m nowhere near an expert on that kind of stuff like you are, but I do genuinely love it.”

“That’s perfectly okay, you don’t need to be an expert to get into this kind of stuff. All that matters is that you love the subject and are willing to learn more about it.”

Lucky smiled, “Think you could tell me some more about it then?”

“I’d love to.”

The rest of the dessert service went by in a blur as Scarlet excitedly gushed about the things she was doing and the things that she had learned so far, and by the time that Starry had announced that they would be making their exit Scarlet felt as if she had gained a new friend, and perhaps even the inkling of an idea of what she wanted to do in her life long term. She knew that she wouldn’t have any real immediate future here, but at the very least she’d maybe have a cross-dimensional pen pal, and her excited discussion with her gave her another idea of what to pursue in the future. It wouldn’t be anything immediate, but perhaps someday she would focus on teaching others what she had learned here, either through her own stories and recollections, or maybe even in schools.

It was overly optimistic, sure, but her conversation with Lucky filled her with both a deep pride for the work she was doing here, and the confidence to share that work when she returned home. And as much as she was sad to leave at the end of her trip, she was also excited for what lied ahead.

Comments

[Numinos]

Finally get to this story, and so far it's very pretty. All the novelty and cultural differences are a fun thing to explore and you're doing it wonderfully : )

[ProgAltRocker]

Really nice chapter. Love seeing more of the cross-culture encounters. Also, I see where Scarlet got her dream to be a teacher now